Think
about oriental painting. What comes to mind? Scenes of mountains? A bird
sitting on a branch? Perhaps even an orchid? One young
oriental drawing artist who drew a woman wearing Hanbok sitting on a
chair focused on her I-Pad quite differs from normal images of oriental
paintings, right? Kim Hyun Jung (KIM) is this artist of a different
colour. She has drawn lots of paintings and calls them the Series of Faux-Naif
(in Korean (Nae-sung). The Sookmyung Times (SMT) met up with her to uncover
secrets behind her Series of Faux-Naif.

SMT Your
paintings differ greatly from other oriental paintings. I wonder what
sparked your unique oriental painting style, in particular the Series
of Faux-Naif.

KIM Personally,
I don’t feel the Series of Faux-Naif to be unlike more
traditional oriental paintings. I was trying to express myself in the
paintings. As a student I

was
concerned a lot about how others saw me. I lived life, not according to
my wants, but trying to look for others. The eyes of others became
the standard of

my
life, and I suffered for it. Because I pursued life according to others’
view of me lost the inner me. I often wondered who I was. It was
during those days that

I
began the Series of Faux-Naif. At first, I started to make caricatures of
Faux-Naif people. However, as I drew, I realized I resembled those
people in my works, so

I
started to draw caricatures of myself. The Series of Faux-Naif is not only
a reflection of outward self, but also my desire to escape from the
eyes of others and social convention.

SMT When I first
heard about the Series of Faux-Naif, I pondered the meaning of
Faux-Naif. Can the word Faux-Naif in your painting be the

same
term with the word used in

daily
life?

KIM In my work,
Faux-Naif is a concept wider than more commonly used connotation. For
me, it entails every action that is different from what I have

in
mind. A Faux-Naif person is on that pretends to be shy. The word
Faux-Naif is a term applied mostly to women, but I think it can have
a wider usage. It is just

a
discrepancy between the desire to be accepted from others and to hide what
I cannot do well. Actually, instinct is what compels us to behave a certain
way.

SMT You have
drawn lots of paintings and held numerous exhibitions including a
showcase at the Asian Students and Young Artists Art Festival
(ASYAAF). Do you have a drawing that is most precious to you?

KIM My first
piece in the Series of Faux-Naif Narcissus is very dear to me. It was
my very first Faux-Naif painting. I drew it to express the moment a woman

immerses
herself in eye makeup in front of a small hand mirror. I won the Gold
Prize in Oriental Painting at the 12th Korea Women’s Grand Art Exhibition

with
the piece. So Narcissus means a lot to me. Also, Familiar but
Unfamiliar is important and precious as well. As I told you just
before, at first my Faux-

Naif
style paintings were caricatures of other people. However, Familiar
but Unfamiliar is the painting that started me down my path of
creating selfportrait

caricature
works. Two women in the painting hold game consoles, but are not
engaged in the game. I tried to express the times when people
feel familiar yet unfamiliar with others. After this piece, I began
seriously working on the Series of Faux-Naif with a focus on myself.

SMT From whom or
what do you get inspiration mostly?

KIM Inspiration
for my drawings usually comes from my life. Because the Series of
Faux-Naif is self-portrait based, my ideas came from my daily life.
Also, communication with my audience or fan base through SNS is
important. I upload posts on my blog and Facebook.

Through
the Internet, I can meet a variety of people, learn, and be
inspired by unexpected ideas.

SMT From whom or
what do you get inspiration mostly?

KIM Inspiration for my
drawings usually comes from my life. Because the Series of Faux-Naif
is self-portrait based, my ideas came from my daily life.

Also, communication
with my audience or fan base through SNS is important. I upload posts
on my blog and Facebook.

Through
the Internet, I can meet a variety of people, learn, and be
inspired by unexpected ideas.

SMT Your
paintings have soared in popularity. The art world credits your years
of experience. However, you are much younger than other Oriental
drawing artists. I am curious as to the keys to your success.

KIM It’s true my
paintings sold out in just two days, but there is no special key. I
never drew with the intent of making money. I drew because I drew.

It’s
who I am. Buyers of my work often say my work is easy to understand
and is unique. Also, lots of people have seen my work on SNS, so I
can’t deny that

SNS
has helped my popularity. I think an artist must communicate with his/her
audience through the paintings.

The
most important thing in my mind as I paint is sympathy. If the voice
of the artist is conveyed to the audience, the audience will feel
comfortable being in the gallery. When people feel comfortable they
sympathize with an art piece more easily.

SMT Besides
private exhibitions, what else would you like to do in the future?

KIM I hope to be
known as an artist who communicates with her public. Also, I
am interested in showing the Series of Faux-Naif through installation art
and video.

By
visualizing and touching my Series of Faux-Naif, people will accept
Faux-Naif more intuitionally and directly. So, I have started to learn
sculpture, which

was
not my major. I keep considering new topics. At the moment, though, I
feel really happy holding exhibitions, so I would like to maintain this
life style

for
a bit longer. Having said that, I am studying and putting on
exhibitions continuously. My ultimate goal is to establish authority
in this field and make